


The Captain and the Admiral

by JediBatman



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Age Difference, Established Relationship, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Flirting, Misunderstandings, Older Woman/Younger Man
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-05-08
Packaged: 2019-04-06 16:29:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 14,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14060910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JediBatman/pseuds/JediBatman
Summary: The First Order military machine has smashed through the Galaxy. Only a small number of Resistance fighters oppose them.After a successful First Order attack, half the Resistance is wiped out. Only four hundred survivors remain to fight another day. After the senior leaders are wiped out Vice Admiral Holdo steps in to take control, while the Resistance tries to regroup and organise its next moves.The Vice Admiral is a fighter and a skilled strategist. But she knows she cannot make it on her own. There is a man she is madly in love with who can help her. His name is Poe Dameron and he is a pilot and a Captain in the Resistance.





	1. The First Order Attacks

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story about two Resistance Officers who try to cooperate and save the day for the Galaxy. The one of them is the attractive and wise Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo and the second one is Poe Dameron, a hotshot pilot with hidden depths.
> 
> They both try to help each other because they love the cause they fight for. They also love each other and have a serious relationship.
> 
> The work is based on the Last Jedi, therefore spoilers ahead!

The First Order attack against the small Resistance fleet had just ended. Ten squadrons of TIE fighters had attacked, causing more than four hundred deaths and the destruction of most Resistance ships. The only ship that had survived the attack was the heavy cruiser Raddus but even there the damage was considerable.  
What made things worse was that the First Order fighters had specifically targeted the Raddus bridge, where the senior Resistance leaders were. Out of the six senior Resistance leaders, four were killed in action. Only General Leia Organa, head of the Resistance had survived with critical wounds and was unconscious. In addition, many mid level officers who formed the backbone of the chain of the Resistance command were gone. 

The only senior Resistance leader alive and not wounded was Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo. She had been the commanding officer of Ninka, a smaller cruiser. He and her crew had fought gallantly but they couldn't save their ship.

As soon as she entered Raddus, Vice Admiral Holdo looked for General Organa, only to learn she was missing in action. 

"Who is in charge here? Who is in charge?"

In the end, nobody was in charge. She had to take action herself.

"Hyperspace jump now! They are tearing us apart!" she ordered.

"Some pods are out. We still need to gather them", a young officer replied.

"There is no time! They are killing us!" Then an explosion blinded them for a second. Ninka had blown up, after a missile barrage hit it. Fortunately, the ship was empty by now. 

"How many pods are out?", the Vice Admiral asked.

"Three. They are getting closer!"

"Come on, come on, come on! We don't have much time!", Holdo said.

There were only a few seconds remaining for the hyperspace jump. One of the pods managed to dock to Raddus, carrying five Resistance members. Two more remained. 

Then a squadron of TIE fighters approached unarmed and unarmored pods. They were easy prey for the fighters. Raddus anti-air guns fired against the First Order fighters but it was all in vain. A barrage of missiles engulfed the small pods, tearing them to pieces. 

"Hyperspace ready!", a young officer screamed.

"Do it!", Holdo said.

The next second, Raddus escaped to hyperspace. 

 

A few minutes later, Raddus left hyperspace, temporarily safe. Vice Admiral Holdo ordered everyone with the exception of those manning the anti-aircraft weapons, the wounded and those tending them gathered in a big hangar area. She had to officially assume command. 

"Listen to me everyone", a middle-aged officer said. "We gathered here because we have lost our leadership. As long General Organa remains in a coma, our leader will be...Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo."

Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo took a few steps forward. She was a tall and elegant woman with a thin but not anorexic body. She had a beautiful face and piercing blue eyes. She was a natural blonde but she had decided to give her hair a purple color. She wore a form fitting gray uniform and a pair of black boots. She also wore a belt with pockets for various items and a holster for a small blaster. Despite being about fifty years old, Amilyn Holdo was a beautiful woman who could easily pass for ten years younger.

Vice Admiral Holdo had been a member of the Resistance for many years. She had been a personal friend of General Leia Organa and she had offered her assistance from various posts, both political and military.

"Thank you Captain. I am Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, and till General Organa recovers I am the new head of the Resistance. It is a heavy burden but I know I can depend on all you for assistance. I only have this to say: we are the hope of the Galaxy.”

"As General Organa used to say: Rebellions are build on hope. And hope is not lost for us. They are more than us and have more resources than we have. But we still here and we are still fighting. We have lost a battle but the war has just begun.”

“Of course, I don't expect you to believe we shall win with hope and good intentions. So here is our plan of action.” She then went on to outline her plan. It consisted of three parts: evade the First Order, regroup in secret locations, and then recruit new members and allies and counterattack.

"That will be all. Time to get to work. Thank you all for listening."

 

It was a mediocre speech, Amilyn thought. Not exactly the inspired speech Leia Organa would have made. In any case, she had other things to worry about. Repairing the ship and setting the Resistance back on track were her two top priorities.

Things were bad. About half the Resistance had perished in the First Order attack. Fortunately, the morale hadn't broken and keeping everyone busy was a good way to keep the situation under control. 

There was a man Amilyn Holdo expected to see among the gathered crowd, a man she was madly in love with. But she did not see his face among them. Had he been on duty? Had he been wounded? Or had he...lost his life?

 

After spending hours assigning duties to various repair crews and trying to organize things, the Vice Admiral was exhausted. But there was one last place she had to visit.

There had been seven X-wing fighters inside the Raddus hangar bay. The First Order attack had destroyed them all. Amilyn's heart quickened when she saw them. She had to take a deep breath to calm herself. And then another. The man she loved had been one of the pilots.

Amilyn reached the Raddus auxiliary command center. It was deep inside the ship and was protected by layers of armor. It did not have the visibility of the bridge, the primary command center, and it did not offer the same navigation options the bridge offered. Nevertheless, it was functional and it was the only option available.

C-3PO, General Organa's personal protocol droid was there. It was a humanoid bipedal robot, the size of a male adult. Its color was gold. When he saw the Vice Admiral, he stood to attention.

"I am C-3PO, the General's personal assistant", it said. "Since the General is in a coma, my protocol routines dictate I am to obey the orders of the next in the chain of command, which is you Admiral. How can I be of service?"

The Vice Admiral thought for a second. "For starters find me a cabin C-3PO because I am exhausted. Can you prepare it yourself?"

"Yes Admiral. I have full servant subroutines installed on me."

"Good. One more thing. Is there a status list of all Resistance people? I would like to use it."

The datapad was a small, black, rectangular palmtop computer all senior officers had. It operated using a touch screen and it was used to read information and issue commands. It was also used as a tracking device in case of emergencies.

"I am on my way to the cabin. You will receive a message on its number on your datapad. The list will also be on your datapad shortly. Resistance members are classified as alive, wounded, missing in action, and killed in action."

"Thank you C-3PO." 

 

After issuing the last commands for the day, Vice Admiral Holdo received a message. It was the droid. It had removed the personal items of the female officer who previously occupied the cabin and who had lost her life in the First Order attack. She informed the command center crew about the cabin number in case they needed her and headed there for sleep.

As soon as she was alone, Amilyn activated the datapad and searched the Resistance members list. She sorted the names in alphabetical order and looked at letter D.

“Let me see your status Poe”, she whispered. A few seconds later, she reached his name and read the following: “Dameron, Poe. Rank: Captain. 

Status:...”


	2. Alive or dead?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe Dameron appears to have lost his life. Is this the end for the Resistance legend? Or did a tough guy like him survive something so minor as a full scale First Order attack?
> 
> This chapter also provides background information about Poe and Amilyn.

Status: Killed in Action.”  
“No...no”, she whispered. She could not stop her tears. 

Poe Dameron had been a pilot for the Resistance. He was General Organa's most trusted pilot and she had assigned him various secret and dangerous missions in the past. He was a thirty-two-year-old man with a natural ability in flying. He had dark hair, an athletic body and average height. In fact, Amilyn Holdo was taller than him.

Poe Dameron and Amilyn Holdo had met each other a little more than three years before the war with the First Order had started. They appeared to be so different. The elegant, middle-aged, high ranking Amilyn and the no nonsense, young, and low ranking Poe did not seem to be a match. 

Amilyn never expected she would fall in love with Poe Dameron. She also never expected she would not only find him very attractive but also an almost perfect match. Their differences were actually superficial and to her delight, the feelings had been mutual.

For three years their relationship had flourished. They loved each other, deeply cared about each other, and helped each other see the world from a different perspective. They were a match – they could see the same things. They also had the ability to coordinate. They could see the same things from different angles. Poe was more intuitive. Amilyn was more analytical. Poe was more charismatic. Amilyn was more logical. Poe was more enthusiastic. Amilyn was more mature.

Then the war started. The First Order, an organization created by the remnants of the former Galactic Empire launched an attack against the New Galactic Republic. They used the Starkiller Base, a planet destroying superweapon, in order to blow up the five planets of the Hosnian System. They were successful and more than thirty billion people perished in a few minutes.

But the Resistance managed to counterattack. Led by none other than Poe Dameron himself, a squadron of Resistance fighters destroyed the Starkiller base a few minutes before it could destroy D'qar, the planet where the main Resistance base was located. Amilyn Holdo had heard the news with a mixture of fear for the safety of Poe and pride for his skill. At that moment Poe became her personal hero. Her pride grew stronger when she learned Poe had been promoted to Commander as a reward for his successful attack.

Unfortunately, the war was far from over. The First Order launched an attack throughout the galaxy and captured many different planetary systems. They also attacked D'qar base using capital ships.

Both Poe Dameron and Amilyn Holdo had been there during the evacuation. The Vice Admiral commanded cruiser Ninka, while Poe Dameron commanded a squadron of X-wing fighters. Then things got ugly.

Poe Dameron, acting against orders, decided to order the last Resistance bombers to attack Fulminatrix, a First Order Dreadnought. The attack had been a success but at a heavy cost for the Resistance. Amilyn Holdo had understood his reasons for disobedience. It was the only way to stop the Dreadnought from destroying the rest of the Resistance fleet. But the First Order made a second attack and she never found the opportunity to express her gratitude.

 

Amilyn Holdo could not sleep. She had to take a double dose of sleeping pills to get some rest. Even then, she barely slept four hours.

She had cried so much during the previous night. She still hadn't recovered and probably never would. The love of her life had passed away. 

"You are the leader of the Resistance Amilyn. You don't have time for personal feelings. If you survive all this, then mourn him. But till then, you have work to do. That is what he would want you to do after all", she told herself.

The following morning Amilyn had a lot of work to do. Only after twelve hours did she find time to visit the hospital. 

The Vice Admiral reached the hospital bay. Each bed was separated with the others with a curtain and all of them were full. Most patients were seriously wounded and unconscious.

In the corner of one of the hospital rooms, a woman was unconscious. She had bandages on her head, and she wore a white hospital robe. But her face had remained totally unharmed with the exception of a few bruises. Amilyn had no problem recognizing her friend, General Leia Organa. 

"We have lost the battle but the war is in front of us. We shall win, do you hear me Leia?", she whispered. "I am patching things up as we speak. We shall be ready for you when you wake up." At least Leia wasn't gone.

 

The Vice Admiral turned around to leave when she saw a young black man approaching a hospital bed. The man reminded her of someone she had seen before. 

Amilyn suddenly remembered. Poe had told her about a former First Order trooper who had saved his life and joined the Resistance. His name was... Finn. But if Poe had passed away, why had Finn gone to the hospital to visit him? Unless...

Finn stopped for a few seconds in front of a specific hospital bed. He gestured to the person there and then left. 

Trying to remain composed, Admiral Holdo approached the same bed. She moved the curtain to see who the patient was and...

"You are alive! Alive!", she whispered. Poe had survived!

Someone had made a mistake, excusable under the circumstances. She reminded herself to inform the doctors about it.

"How could I be so stupid? I should have visited the hospital first", Holdo told herself. It was more than stupidity. It was carelessness. Holdo made a mental note never to make such a type of mistake again. 

The Vice Admiral looked around her. Satisfied none was looking her way, she moved the curtain. It was only she and he now.

"Can you hear me Poe?", she whispered to his ear. Poe did not move. He appeared to be unconscious. She softly touched his left arm. The Captain remained motionless. 

“I will return as soon as I can”, she whispered. Then she gently kissed his forehead and left.

 

Being the acting head of the Resistance meant a lot of responsibility for the Admiral. She had to supervise a lot of people. She had to also delegate a lot of things to inexperienced people, which meant she had to spend a lot of time explaining things.

Sixteen hours passed from the moment she woke up. It had been a full day for her. But the fact her beloved was alive gave her strength and energy she never believed she could possess.

 

In all, it had been a productive day. She had managed to organize repair groups, to integrate the survivors of the other ships to Raddus, and to remain calm, productive, and composed for a full day.

It was time for some well needed rest. Fortunately, her tiredness and the good news about Poe made Amilyn sleep like a baby. She managed to get six solid hours of sleep without sleeping pills.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where this story and the Last Jedi start seriously diverging. I don't mind that because frankly I really disliked the Last Jedi.


	3. Another First Order attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The First Order launches another attack. Holdo has prepared countermeasures. Will they be effective?

Vice Admiral Holdo had just woken up when the alarm sounded.  
"Positive ID! Positive ID!. They are about to locate us."

"Launch countermeasures now!", she ordered from the cabin intercom. Still half asleep, the Admiral put her uniform on and went to the control center. 

"What do we have?"

"Supremacy, the First Order flagship is here. They will locate us."

"Did you launch the countermeasures?"

"Yes, Admiral"

Every spaceship has a specific radar signature. However, using advanced materials or cloaking devices, a ship can modify that signature. Raddus had used cloaking technology to make its radar signal appear smaller. At the same time, it launched an escape pod with two droids inside it acting as pilots. The pod however had been modified to give a bigger radar signal than its size, bigger than the one Raddus had.

Soon Supremacy located a strong radar signal. General Hux, the First Order officer in charge of the operation to find Raddus, ordered five squadrons of TIE fighters launched.

"Prepare for hyperspace. Now!", Holdo ordered.

"We shall be in hyperspace in a few minutes."

 

Finn was on duty as a gunner. He could not see any enemy spaceships though. Had the alarm been a false one? 

"Three minutes for hyperspace jump. Stand by."

Then Finn saw them. The white-hot fumes of the TIE fighters engines. He could barely make them in the distance. They were some kilometers away. But they didn't seem to be getting closer. On the contrary, they seemed to run away.

"Two minutes for hyperspace jump. Stand by."

Finn's gunnery position had a special camera. Gunners frequently used it to either locate enemy fighters or to better aim their guns. Using its zoom utility, Finn focused on one of the TIE fighters. Indeed, they were moving away from Raddus. Focusing better, Finn could see the exhaust fumes of an escape pod. They were chasing it.

"One minute for hyperspace jump. Stand by."

The TIE fighters opened fire against the pod. It only took a few seconds for it to blow up.

"What was that? A decoy?”, Finn wondered.

The First Order fighters remained there. They hadn't located Raddus yet. 

"Ten seconds for hyperspace jump. Nine, eight, seven..." Finn could see some of the TIE fighters turn to their direction. 

"...three, two, one, jump!" Raddus entered hyperspace.

 

"Hyperspace complete. No enemy activity observed. Alert is over. Non on duty personell stand down."

"Did you see that Finn?", Sergeant Tiko asked. She was on his way in the hangar for repair work.

"Yes, we sent a probe as a decoy. But were there human pilots on board?", Finn asked.

"No, don't worry. Two droids were on board but no human beings. We salvaged two droids from the X-wing fighters we had in the hangar and put them there. I helped put them there myself."

"Nice work then. We escaped them once more. Tell me, who had the idea for that?"

"Vice Admiral Holdo. She also made it happen, which is the important part. She is a really competent boss."

"I almost thought we had put human beings there."

"It had to seem real. Listen, I have to go to the hangar. We think we can salvage one of the X-wings with spare parts of the other six. The Admiral has put us to work on that."

"OK buddy. I will try to keep you safe from here."

"Yes, Finn. See you later."

 

It was another busy day for Vice Admiral Holdo. She had to make a lot of decisions again. Fortunately, the successful evasion of the First Order had improved morale and made everyone more willing to work.

Holdo was a rather shy and reserved person in a social setting. That made her constant exposure to other people and her obligation to constantly talk and give orders a stressful ordeal. She longed for a few hours of loneliness.

Alas, there was no loneliness to come. For the next seventeen hours, the Admiral would have to remain calm or at least look calm and take decision after decision. She wondered how successful leaders had felt. Were they so stressed? Did they ever doubt themselves?

She would try to do her best of course. She always had. Four hundred people and the fate of trillions more depended on her. She didn't believe she was a natural born leader. But she was all the Resistance had.

 

"Fuel status?", Vice Admiral Holdo asked.

"Enough for a few days. We need to refuel from somewhere", Sergeant Tiko replied.

"Agreed. But none will refuel us. The First Order will smash them to bits if they do.”

"Yes, Admiral."

"Time to disperse the Resistance. Time to plant the seeds of the Rebellion."

 

"Good morning Captain", the young nurse said. She had a face Captain Poe Dameron had never seen.

"I see you are puzzled. I am from Ninka, the ship Vice Admiral Holdo commanded. We came here after the First Order blew our ship up."

Dameron's fists tightened when he heard the name Holdo. He had so many things to tell her. But he said nothing.

"I only remember that I was in my X-wing when a missile hit our hangar and blew us up."

"A lot has happened Captain. Perhaps, you should rest a little more before you learn it. It is...disturbing.", the nurse said and left.

Still having a headache, Poe Dameron remained on his bed. 

 

A few hours later, Captain Dameron was allowed to leave the hospital. A few minutes after entering the door opened. It was Finn.

"Hello buddy." 

"Hello Finn. How is it going?"

Finn told him about the First Order attack, the loss of four out of six senior leaders, the loss of half the Resistance personnel and the fact the First Order was hunting them. She also told him who was in charge of the Resistance now.

“The Admiral is a true officer and a true lady Finn. I will try to meet her as soon as possible. Now buddy, I am sorry but I have to stay alone. The doctors tell me I need more rest. See you tomorrow.” 

“See you buddy.” Finn saluted and left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holdo proves herself as a capable and respectable commander... unlike her movie counterpant. It's a shame they wasted the talents of a great actress like Laura Dern - who played Holdo - like that.


	4. Accused for Disobedience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe leaves the Raddus hospital. Both he and Amilyn think about the time he disobeyed a direct order to attack a capital ship and the court-martial that followed. Did he do the right thing or not? What does Amilyn think of the incident?

Amilyn Holdo was very busy, however she managed to spare a few minutes to visit the hospital bay at the end of her shift.  
General Leia Organa remained unconscious and according to the doctors she would remain that way for the next few days. 

Poe Dameron, on the other hand, was OK and had been released from the hospital. According to one of the doctors, he would have to stay in his cabin for a few hours and then report for duty. 

 

Both Poe and Amilyn were in their cabins. Both were thinking about the same incident: the incident when Poe Dameron lost his rank of Commander.

"Commander Dameron, what have you done?", General Organa said.

"I attacked and destroyed an enemy dreadnought", he replied

"And losing our bombers and half of our fighters in the process.", Organa continued.

"With all due respect General", Dameron said, "the dreadnought was bombing our base. We were evacuating it. We saved lives there."

"In addition", he continued, "the First Order has one dreadnought less now. Think of the lives we will save in the long run."

"The First Order has many other ships to kill people", General Organa said. "In addition, we already had evacuated the base when the First Order bombed it."

"The important thing here is", Admiral Akbar said, "that the General gave you a direct order and you disobeyed."

"If you don't do what your superiors say Commander", another officer said, "how do you expect your subordinates to do what you say?"

"If I have my hands tied any time I try to make a decision by a superior too far away to be able to..."

"Maybe the superior officers of that first line officer know something more. Maybe this is why they are superior officers in the first place. And maybe...a reckless, stubborn, disobedient, moronic flyboy does not deserve to be a Commander!"

The room fell silent. Poe Dameron shot Holdo a look. His eyes were wide and his expression was blank. It was surprise mixed with sadness.

Holdo had remained silent so far. She decided to speak up.

“I believe the Commander destroyed the dreadnought because he observed it was about to blow up our spaceships. Besides Commander Dameron has never been accused for disobedience before. Am I right Commander?”

 

In the end Poe Dameron had been demoted from Commander to Captain. It was demotion by one rank, much heavier than what he thought he deserved and much lighter than the worst that could happen to him. He was spared a heavier punishment because of his success in Starkiller Base and the fact the Resistance was not exactly overflowing with people with his skills. 

“Don't worry Amilyn, we shall review his case at a more appropriate time. It is not a final verdict”, Leia Organa had told her. “And one more thing.”

“What is it Leia?”

“You and I have been best friends for almost four decades. I know you have hidden your secret from me for three years. Why Amilyn?”

“I never wanted you to be more lenient to Poe because he is my lover. And he is actually much more than that.” Leia nodded in agreement. Just like she and Han Solo.

 

The war with the First Order had taken a heavy toll on Amilyn Holdo. She had high stress levels and could not sleep. She had to take medicine to help her relax and go to bed. Her physician had warned her to reduce the dosage because if she continued that way she would become an addict in a few months.

Amilyn had to take double her normal dosage of sleeping pills to manage to get some hours of sleep that night.

 

"Reckless, stubborn, disobedient, moronic flyboy." The words had hurt him. But it was not the words. It was the fact he had put his neck on the line, that he had made a snap decision and they had punished him instead of at least acknowledging he had a point.

What else had they said? That if he disobeyed his superiors he could not expect his subordinates to do something different. He had to admit it was a valid point. On the other hand, if the superiors gave the wrong orders how could the subordinates obey them?

Someone knocked the door of his cabin. He stood up and opened it. It was Amilyn Holdo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is inspired by the beginning sequence of the Last Jedi. I think Dameron did the right thing when he attacked that dreadnought. Had he obeyed his orders, the First Order would have used the dreadnought to attack Raddus later... and game over! Still he disobeyed though... so how should


	5. A new start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Amilyn meet each other. They share some thoughts and remember why they love each other.

"Good evening. May I come in?", Amilyn asked. She seemed tired yet happy. "I am sorry for the disturbance", she said.   
“You are never a disturbance Amilyn”, he said with a smile. “Besides, I never thanked you for speaking up for me.”

“It was my duty to do so. I would have done it for anyone”, she said. “You know, I thought I had lost you. There was a clerical error and they classified you as dead.”

“Oh come on”, he said with another smile. “Their biggest superweapon could not kill me. What chances did they have with a few small fighters?” Both burst into laughter.

“Poe, when you attacked the Starkiller Base...you became my hero. And do you remember my gift to you?” she asked with a crooked smile on her face.

Poe remembered her visiting him in his cabin. It had been the best sexual experience in his life. His smile widened as he remembered the details. 

“Sorry but the doctors ordered me to rest for the night. But the next night...”

She kissed his lips.

“See you when you wake up officer”, she said. “Handsome officer”. She opened the door and left.

 

The following morning Captain Dameron met Vice Admiral Holdo in the command post. They entered a small conference room along with C-3PO. Holdo had described what she wanted him to do. 

"I never have trained infantrymen” he said. But I understand small unit behavior and I can teach them about leadership."

"An idle army is a low morale army. You have to keep them active. And the best way to do so is by offering them something that will help them win the war”, Amilyn said.

“OK C-3PO, give the Captain some assistance with our databases. By the way could you please check whether the General has awoken?”

“On my way Admiral.” C-3PO left the room, leaving them alone.

“In fifteen hours, I will see you again”, she said. “In my cabin”, she added with a whisper while gently massaging his shoulders. Then she proceeded to kiss him.

 

Fifteen hours passed. Both Holdo and Dameron had very busy workloads. The Admiral had to supervise repairs throughout the ship while the Captain had training duties. 

 

Amilyn and Poe were inside her cabin. They were both exhausted after hours spent making love. 

"I had read a lot about you Poe. I had heard even more. I admired you Poe and I still do. I had an image of you in my mind. The image of a brave and intelligent and capable person. I had the image of a man who made sacrifices for the common good, who cared about the people, and who would serve the Resistance till the end...exactly because he cared.”

"I can assure you the feeling was mutual, Amilyn." They both locked eyes. Then she suddenly kissed him.

Soon they were kissing each other again. They were kissing as if they were on fire, with passion and purpose. 

"Hey. We were talking you know...", Poe said. Amilyn was kissing his neck.

"I am sorry, I couldn't stop", she said with a nervous smile. "You know it happens to me every time I meet you."

"I thought it was not meant to be. You are handsome and you are a pilot, a combination that few women can resist. I believed that somewhere a woman was waiting for you or that you were the no serious commitment type.

"There is a strange thing when you are in love, Poe. You both want and don't want to find out whether the other person loves you. A hopeful maybe is better than a definite no. I didn't know how to approach you. Our General was a good friend but I was too embarrassed to ask.

"I could of course approach you directly. But as I said I would intimidate you. I didn't want you to say yes just because of fear of rank. I didn't want to force you to do something you didn't want, especially if there was another woman in your life."

“In the end you did Amilyn. You came to my cabin and asked.”

“It took a lot of courage to do that. More than you can imagine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Amilyn are in the serious relationship type of interaction. Do you like it as an idea? Please let me know in the comments section.


	6. A General wakes up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe, Holdo, and Sergeant Tiko realise the First Order has a device that tracks them through hyperspace. They discuss ways to defeat the system. Meanwhile, Leia Organa wakes up from coma.

After five hours of sleep, Poe and Amilyn were woke up. Both were naked.   
“You have the stamina of a thirty-year-old athlete", he said.

"So you are saying that despite the fact I am fifty-three, I look almost twenty years younger than that?", Amilyn said with a grin. "You don't say that to get me in bed, do you?", she continued, joking.

“Oh no, I never do that. They always come to me. It's because I am handsome”, he said with a grin. She slapped him on the shoulder.

"And you are a handsome pilot who knows how to make a woman happy. And I really like your compliment... although you have said it more than a hundred times.” She gave him a kiss.

“OK officer. Time to get to work”, she said. 

 

A few minutes later, they were both in the command center. Amilyn had arrived first and Poe had followed from another route a few minutes later.

"Admiral, Captain we have reached a dire conclusion", Sergeant Rose Tiko said.

"What is it Sergeant?", Holdo asked.

"Our analysis suggests the First Order is tracking us from hyperspace.”

"We don't need an analysis for that", Captain Dameron said. "It is obvious. They destroyed our decoy pods within hours. They are either too many and cover half the Galaxy, too lucky or they can track us."

"Captain Dameron is right", Holdo said. "Fortunately, they only have one such tracker." Tiko and Dameron looked at her in surprise.

"How do you know that Admiral?", he asked.

"Simple logic. What ship did they use to attack us?"

"Their flagship, Supremacy.", Tiko said.

"Why did they use their biggest ship?" 

"Because their Supreme Leader wanted to personally observe our destruction", Dameron said. "And because they have their locator there. You are right Admiral."

"But how do we know they have just one locator?"

"That is easy", Dameron thought. "If you want to locate something, you have to cast a big net. In other words, you need to have long distance locator capabilities. Sergeant, does the locator signal follow the inverse law?"

"If it works like radar signals or other electromagnetic radiation, then yes. If you double the distance from a star, its light radiation is four times less powerful. If you triple it, it is nine times less powerful."

"To locate us, they need to search vast areas. They need massive amounts of energy to do so. Only their flagship and Starkiller base can do that."

"The Starkiller base no longer exists", Vice Admiral Holdo said, "thanks to a real hero". She shot an admiring glance at Poe. 

"Thank you Admiral. In any case, the Starkiller base was immobile. It could only use locators to track nearby spaceships."

"So it is the flagship", the Admiral said. "How do we deal with that?"

"We can try to sneak on board and disable the device", Captain Dameron suggested.

"This is Plan D, Captain", Holdo suggested. "D like desperation. Let's develop Plans A, B,C first.” Then she realized her mistake.

“I really am sorry Captain. I didn't mean to offend you in any way. Your idea makes sense, it is simply the last we should try." Poe nodded. 

"Of course Admiral. Has the General woken up? Perhaps we could consult her on possible solutions only she knows."

"I really don't know Captain but let's find out. OK Sergeant, back to work. I will send C-3PO to the hospital bay."

"Yes, Admiral". She turned around and left.

When they were alone, Holdo looked at Poe and said. "Officially we don't know. C-3PO never entered my cabin and he never saw us."

"C-3PO?", the Admiral asked.

"Yes, Admiral", the droid asked.

"Could you please check whether General Organa has woken up?"

“Already checked Admiral. She just did” He turned around and left.

 

"I have a job for you Poe. When you are through with your training duties. We believe we can fully repair one X-wing with parts salvaged from the other six. We need an experienced pilot to oversee the repairs. Could you suggest a volunteer?”, she asked with a playful smile.

"I think Captain Dameron will be available", he said, a big smile on his face.

"Summon him", the Vice Admiral said with a big and warm smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A somewhat more realistic approach to the problem of hyperspace tracking the Last Jedi presented. In addition, the Resistance members cooperate and think of solutions in a respectful and cooperative manner... like adults!


	7. A meeting and a betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leia Organa, Amilyn Holdo, Finn, Rose, and Poe Dameron have a meeting to discuss how to neutralise the hyperspace tracking technology. Leia suggests a solution and Finn and Poe volunteer. But two Resistance members could sabotage the plan... unless Poe and Amilyn stop them.

The day passed quickly for the two lovers. Holdo was supervising the ship and essentially running the Resistance while Dameron was training cadets. After a brief discussion with Holdo, Dameron had her permission to recruit Finn as an assistant trainer. His gunnery duties were covered by other Resistance members who had just left the hospital.

"This is Finn. Finn is the best friend I have. And do you know why? It is not only because he saved my life. It is also because he chose for himself a different path. It is because Finn was, like many others, forced to be a member of the First Order, yet he chose to become one of us."

"There is a lesson Finn has taught me. The lesson is: you always have a choice. You always can choose to do the right thing."

"Think of that. Our enemy is the First Order. Yet here is Finn, one of them who chose to set himself free. How many others are there ready to be freed as well? How many others are waiting to join us if we convince them it is worth it?"

"We are few, the mighty few. We are not yet a fire. But we are a spark. We are the spark that will light the fire that will burn the First Order down." 

"Now Finn, let's talk about more operational matters."

"At your orders, Captain. So ladies and gentlemen, the basic First Order infantry unit..."

 

After fourteen hours had passed, Holdo was in her cabin. She had tried to indulge herself a little wearing some light perfume. She also had plans for her night with Poe.

It was not going to happen. The Admiral was still in her uniform when the door knocked.

"Who is it?", she asked.

"C-3PO", came the reply. "The General sends me."

 

A few minutes later, the Admiral was in Leia's cabin. Poe Dameron, Finn, and Sergeant Tiko were already there.

"Welcome Admiral", General Organa said. "The reason for this meeting is the hyperspace locator the First Order has created and installed on board their flagship Supremacy.

"Captain Dameron has suggested us boarding the ship and disabling the device, if no other options are available. Captain, I appreciate your bravery, however there are other options.

"After a discussion with our ally, the smuggler Maz Kanata, we have learned there is a way to neutralize the locator signal. There is a special jamming algorithm that one man possesses...

General Organa went on to a lengthy description of the algorithm and its use. In essence, they should send a small party to Canto Bight and find the scientist who had created the algorithm. Then they should convince him to give it to the Resistance. 

"We are running out of tricks ladies and gentlemen. Soon they will find us again. We are also running out of fuel. Our only option is to use the algorithm and then cloak our transports. Then we will let them chase Raddus while we escape to a safe location to regroup. I know, it is not the bravest thing to do, but it is the only way to survive and fight another day."

"Captain Dameron, Finn, I believe you will make a good team. Do you wish to go to Canto Bight?"

"Yes, General", Poe said.

"Yes, General", Finn said as well.

"Then I have good news for you. We have managed to repair one X-wing. The Captain will pilot it. You Finn will fly as a passenger. It is cramped but it is the only ship we have capable of going to Canto Bight and return."

"Very well General. I will go and check the X-wing myself to see if there is anything more to be done."

 

The meeting was over. Finn and Sergeant Tiko headed to their cabins and Poe headed for the hangar at the opposite direction. Amilyn followed him at a discreet distance. He glanced at her. She nodded, smiled and then turned to another corridor. She would meet him in the hangar using another entrance. With a grin on his face, Poe typed a special password on a keyboard and entered the hangar bay.

 

The hangar bay of Raddus was enormous. It could accommodate more than fifty X-wing fighters and hundreds of technicians to repair and maintain them. Currently though, only seven X-wings were there, and six of them were damaged and cannibalized for spare parts. Only one was ready to fly. 

The hangar was deserted. Only Poe was there. There were numerous entrances to it, all of them locked. Holdo had ordered that because she was afraid a potential sabotage to the surviving X-wing or a desperate attempt to escape. In theory only the surviving X-wing pilots could use an X-wing but Holdo didn't want to take any chances. And only one of those surviving pilots was not wounding, capable of flying. 

Captain Dameron checked the diagnostics of the aircraft in a monitor. All seemed OK. Satisfied, he looked around to see whether Amilyn had arrived. She was nowhere to be seen. However, he could see he was not alone. Two men were approaching him. One of them raised his hand to salute him.

 

"Hey Poe, what are you doing down here?", the man who saluted asked. He was holding a cane and was limping in his right leg. He was younger than Poe and wore a pilot's jacket.

"You know me Armi, I am in love with X-wings", Poe replied. "They wanted someone with flight experience to check the diagnostics and I was the only one lucky enough not to be wounded." 

"I know Poe. The corporal here told me about the X-wing. He is Hermon, and he is also my brother.” Hermon and Poe shook hands.

"So, Armi and Hermon what brings you here?", Poe asked. Something was wrong. 

"To be honest Poe", Armi said, "we have to tell you a secret." Then he looked at his brother. "It's OK Hermon, Poe and I have fought together. He is like a brother to me as much as you are. We can trust him." Hermon nodded.

"I am listening Armi", Poe said. "What is the secret?" 

"The secret Poe is that both Hermon and I have lost our faith. We no longer believe in the Resistance, we no longer believe in victory, and we no longer believe that staying on board this cruiser has any meaning at all. We only believe in survival."

"What are you talking about Armi? We fought in Starkiller Base. You have saved my life. I have saved yours. What happened to you buddy?” 

"It just happened Poe. We blew up their superweapon and yet half the Galaxy is theirs. It will never end buddy. The moment they blew up the hangar was the moment I lost it."

“Hey, listen Armi and Hermon, in a few minutes I will be over. Then you can come to my cabin and we can talk and we..."

"We are not here for a chat Poe. We actually expected the hangar to be deserted", Armi said. 

"You are here for the X-wing. You want to escape”, Poe said.

"You can join us if you want Captain", Hermon said. "We will be very tight but we can make it. Am I right Armi?"

"Absolutely right Hermon. As I said Poe is my brother. What do you say Poe?"

"Thanks for the offer, but...no. We had losses, yes, we had screw-ups, yes but I will never lose my faith that in the end we shall bring the First Order down. It will take time but it will happen. Now both of you listen. We shall work things out, do you hear me? It's OK, we shall work through this and..." Hermon unholstered his blaster and so did Armi.

“Hey, what...”

"Sorry buddy. I wish you weren't here. You are coming Poe. As a hostage”, Armi said. Hermon was about to raise his weapon.

"I do not think so gentlemen", a female voice said. They turned around surprised.

"Free the Captain now!", Vice Admiral Holdo said holding her blaster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really liked the idea that Amilyn could also be an action girl... so I decided to add a scene where she is. I really like the character in this story. Of course, I am very subjective since I wrote it!


	8. "There is a hostage situation!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For Amilyn threatening Poe is a death sentense. Will she actually pull the trigger?

A few minutes after Poe had entered the hangar, Holdo did the same from a different entrance. She had carefully moved in the hangar, trying to stay as hidden as possible because someone might be present. 

When she saw the two men approaching Poe, she was about two hundred meters away from the X-wing and the Captain. She was in a darkly lit area of the hangar and she was wearing soft soled shoes that made little noise. 

"To be honest Poe, we have to tell you a secret", one of them had said. Amilyn Holdo was fifty meters away, hidden behind a column, and she could clearly understand their voices. She slowly and quietly unholstered her blaster and her datapad from her belt. 

"Thanks for the offer guys. But...no." Poe had said. Holdo's heart was beating fast. She was afraid. She suspected the worst. 

Holdo was only ten meters away now, hidden behind another column. She felt her blaster in her right hand. It was small, precise, elegant. It had been her sidearm of choice for many years and she had a lot of experience in its use.

The moment Hermon and Armi drew their blasters, Amilyn pushed a button on the datapad. It was the silent alarm, an option used when the officer with the datapad wanted not to draw attention. It immediately transmitted the officer's location and asked for immediate assistance.

Two minutes later, the captain of the ship's garrison and four heavily armed guards were on their way to the hangar. All of them carried rifles and blasters. When they passed in front of General Organa's cabin, their leader knocked on the door.

"Let's go gentlemen", General Organa said. The silent alarm had reached her as well. Despite her wounds she could walk. The four guards made a protective square around her and the garrison commander and walked towards the hangar.

Leia Organa was hoping that neither Amilyn Holdo nor Poe Dameron would be hurt. She would talk to Amilyn about her and the Captain later. .

 

"It is over gentlemen", Holdo said. "I have sounded the alarm."

"I suggest you drop your weapon Admiral", Hermon said. Holdo was aiming his chest.

"And then kill me, take my blaster, and escape in the X-wing with the Captain as hostage? I don't think so", she answered. 

“You know guys, I think the Admiral is bluffing”, Hermon said. “She will never pull the trigger. She is the typical senior officer. She just gives orders and lets others do the dirty work.”

“Don't underestimate the Admiral”, Poe Dameron said. “She has more guts that both of you combined.”

“Let's find out then”, Hermon said. He slowly raised his blaster. “We are two and you are one and we are desperate”, he said.

“I believe you are. And the firing mode that leaves you unconscious will take one or two seconds to take effect, enough time to hit me or the Captain. So, my blaster is in kill mode. If I shoot, you die”, Amilyn Holdo said. Hermon quickly raised his weapon.

Holdo pulled the trigger. 

Holdo's blaster was small and made less noise than the bigger ones used by armies and security forces. Nevertheless, her aim was true and she killed Hermon with a single shot in the chest, five meters away from her. 

A fraction of a second later, Holdo took aim at Armi. He had tried to raise his blaster but Holdo was faster. 

"Armi" she said. Her voice was calm and soft.

"Armi, look at me. It is over. If you kill the Captain, I kill you. You know I have the guts and the skills. Just look at your brother." Her voice was very soft. Armi remained speechless and looked at his dead brother.

"Armi. You did not kill anyone. You did something wrong here but so does everyone. You deserve a second chance in life and you will have it. You are young, disappointed and you have your reasons, don't you?" Armi nodded.

“With all due respect Admiral”, Armi “the best that could happen to me would be to wait till the First Order blows Raddus away. I won't live in agony!” He raised his blaster. A shot was heard.

 

"Poe? Poe? Are you hurt? Did they harm you? I don't see anything." Amilyn's eyes were wide with agony.

"I am OK. Calm down Amilyn."

She hugged him with all her strength. 

"I was so scared. They were ready to kill you."

"You saved my life! You are a heroine..."

 

"Admiral Holdo! Captain Dameron! Are you OK?". It was the voice of General Organa.

"Two people dead, the hostage is OK", the garrison captain said. 

"Yes, we are OK General", Vice Admiral Holdo replied.

"Very well Admiral. I should not have I sent you in the hangar alone."

"It was impossible to know it General. Fortunately, everything went all right...not for everyone of course"

 

Poe Dameron was in his cabin trying to calm down and get some rest. Finn was with him. He insisted on carrying a blaster and he insisted on guarding Poe at all times. 

The door opened. General Organa and Vice Admiral Holdo entered the Captain's cabin. 

“Finn, we need to have a word with the Captain”, Leia Organa said. Finn exited the cabin.

“All right Captain”, the General said. “I know everything. And I know how it all started.”

It all had started about three years ago when Poe Dameron had his first meeting with Amilyn Holdo. Soon Leia Organa saw some significant changes in him. He no longer complained about additional work or duties. Instead, he welcomed them and asked for even more things to do. In addition, the quality of his work significantly increased. His reports became more well written, more detailed and more useful. He had fully embraced his new role as a military leader. 

Leia had also observed Poe had changed the way he behaved to women. He was no longer the flirtatious flyboy. Instead, he kept a respectful professional distance and always avoided being alone with another woman. 

“I admit I was so disappointed when I found out about you and Amilyn”, Leia Organa said. “First of all, I was disappointed I hadn't realized it earlier. My second disappointment was that I always thought the Captain had improved because of my mentoring. I thought I was a good General. But it was Amilyn all along. And can you guess my third disappointment?”

“I am sorry Leia”, Amilyn said. “Poe fell in love with me and not with you. He did not try to impress you but me. This doesn't mean you are not an impressive woman on your own.”

“It's OK. After all, Han Solo was still alive back then and I never would cheat on him.”

“As far as the hostage incident is concerned now”, General Organa continued, “the official explanation is that the pilot wanted to commit suicide and his brother the corporal tried to prevent him. They struggled and the pilot accidentally killed the corporal. Then the pilot was too consumed with guilt to reconsider and killed himself as well.”

“I hate lies. But I suppose it is better than admitting the alternative”, Captain Dameron said. “It would undermine our morale.”

“Thank you Poe. Now, as a General and as a woman I won't oppose your relationship. You cannot stop your heart from loving. And I speak from experience.” She raised her left hand. Poe and Amilyn observed an elegant silver ring.

“This ring is from Han Solo himself. He gave it to me when he proposed me...many years ago. I never dared to ask him where he found it but I want to believe he obtained it through legal means. To me, this ring symbolizes love, commitment, and a bond between souls... like the one the two of you share.

“As far as your demotion is concerned Poe, don't worry. We shall review it when things calm down. Now if you excuse me, I have some orders to give so I am going to leave you alone. And Admiral?”

“Yes, General?”, Vice Admiral Holdo asked.

“Don't tire the Captain too much. He has a mission for the Resistance to complete”, Leia said with a crooked smile and a wink. Then she opened the door and left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holdo is really a badass in this chapter. And she really loves Poe.


	9. The hero's heroine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Amilyn stay together for some after action talking. Poe thanks Amilyn for saving his life and tells her his opinion about the whole situation.

"How are you Poe?" Amilyn's voice was soft and her smile was as always beautiful. She and Poe were lying naked in bed after having made love.  
"I am bad, you know. Really bad." Amilyn shot him a worried look.

"Did I do something wrong? I am not a cold-blooded murderer. I just wanted to save you."

"The pilot you killed was like a brother to me. We had been buddies. We had fought together. We had risked our lives to help each other. He had saved my life once.

"They were both good people and they took a wrong turn. It is not your fault they died. It is theirs. But it was just one wrong turn in the end.

"The second thing is who these people were. They were not scumbags, they were not opportunists. They were better than average Resistance members. If these people, the most loyal and trusted try to abandon ship – both literally and metaphorically – what does it say about the Resistance?"

"The second thing is: we are collapsing.", Amilyn Holdo said. “But you and I will stop that. I know we will.”

"The third thing is us Amilyn. We are loyal Resistance members. But so were they. Then something snapped inside them, something made them lose their faith. In other words: we might be next."

"No, Poe you are not going to be next", Amilyn said. "Not you. Even if everyone else loses faith, you won't."

“The last thing has to do with you Amilyn. Today you risked your life to save mine. I am so grateful and so lucky to have met such a strong and capable woman". There were tears in his eyes now.

"It makes me so lucky that such a wonderful woman loves me, and believes in me, and risks her life to save me because she saw something in me, something I haven't even figured out about myself." There were tears in Amilyn's eyes as well.

"I am so lucky to have met you Amilyn. You are a treasure in my life. And thank you so much for saving my life. You are my heroine now."

"Thank you so much Poe. I love you."

"I love you Amilyn." They proceeded to make love.

 

While General Organa was walking towards the command center, her mind wandered to another man and another woman about three decades ago. A man who had deeply loved her.

"I love you Han", she had said.

"I know", he had replied. 

"Han Solo, I wish you had been more expressive with your feelings. Why were you so afraid to admit them?", she whispered to herself. "But I still loved you, you know."

"I wish you both survive this You really deserve it." Then she kissed her silver ring. There were tears in her eyes.

 

A few hours later, the X-wing was ready to take off. Finn, and BB-8, Poe's personal droid were inside it. It was cramped, especially for Finn. Before Poe entered, he had a word with Holdo.

"Are you sure Amilyn?", he asked.

"Yes, Poe. The Resistance comes before me or you. If you have to sleep with a woman to accomplish the mission, you should. I will understand."

"You are very generous. Listen, I am not the cheating type so..."

"I said, it will be OK. It will not be cheating. " 

"Perhaps we should reconsider the plan of sneaking into the First Order flagship", he said. Amilyn Holdo burst into laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little of a breather chapter... but there is also a lot of emotion here. In any case Poe really loves Amilyn.


	10. Canto Bight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Finn go to Canto Bight to find a professor. He possesses an algorithm that can help cloaking Resistance ships from First Order hyperspace locators. 
> 
> Meanwhile, Amilyn is afraid for her life and asks a favor from Leia.

A few hours later, Finn, Poe, and BB-8 reached Canto Bight. They landed the X-wing next to a forest and hid it with a special camouflage. BB-8 remained to guard the craft.

"Hey, don't worry BB-8", Finn said. "We shall bring a nice female droid for you when we return." BB-8 bleeped.

"What did BB-8 say, Poe?"

"He said...in somewhat...plain language...to have an active...sexual life." Finn glared at the droid.

"I will let it slide, BB-8. This time only", Finn said. Poe laughed. 

Both men changed from their flight uniforms to tuxedos General Organa somehow had in Raddus for missions like that and walked towards Canto's Finest, a famous casino. Maz Kanata had informed them it was the professor's preferred casino.

 

"I will keep a distance while you approach the professor. Just as planned."

"OK. But keep your eyes open Finn. I don't know how hard will it be to spot him."

It only took three minutes to find the professor and his very attractive brunette assistant. 

"Good evening, sir", the attractive brunette said Poe. "A friend informed us you would be coming." She referred to Maz Kanata.

The brunette gestured to the Professor. A few seconds later he stood up and headed for the exit. The brunette gestured to Poe to follow her. They left the casino from another exit. When they exited the building, she stopped him and looked him deeply in the eyes.

"There is something in you. I can see it in your eyes", she told him.

"What do you mean?", the captain asked.

"Nine out of ten men desire me. But you don't. Why? Are you the tenth man, so disciplined and focused?"

"No. I would actually be the first. Or perhaps the second. But that was years ago."

"How much do you love her?", she asked. 

"I love her with my soul. I would give my life for her.", he replied.

"She must be someone truly special."

"She is", Poe replied. "Why me? You can have every man you want", he asked.

"I am not a good girl. I had so much potential, so smart and capable. And I wasted it in parties and casinos, chasing after the next millionaire who would buy me another drink and invite me to another party."

"And how you and the professor..."

"To cut a long story short, the professor is my uncle. He was decent once but he now just gambles and waits for the end to come. After the Hosnian System disaster the Professor and I are afraid. The First Order no longer operates with discretion. We are just one more loose end they will try to fix.

"We both live in borrowed time. We are dead Captain. And if it ends, I want the last man I have been with to be someone I respected and admired. Someone decent who actually risked his life for something bigger than himself. Someone like you."

"I wish I could help. But I will not be able to see her in the eyes again."

"I believe I could seduce you if I wanted to." Her face was only inches apart from his. Her voice was just a whisper.

"You could if you tried really hard. She would understand. If it is for the Resistance, she will accept it."

"But I won't Captain. I cannot expect to end my life in a decent way and do something so selfish. But I want you to promise me something."

"What is it?"

"Love her. Treasure her. Listen to her. Don't hurt her. And most of it become a better person if you are not. I don't know if you deserve her but I can see it in your eyes. You love her."

"I try every day to deserve her. It is a struggle exactly because she is so wonderful. But I promise you, I will. This is a promise I have made myself too." She smiled at him.

"The Professor will be expecting you. Follow me." Captain Dameron looked to his right. Finn was already there. He followed them.

 

"Thank you Professor. The jamming technology will help us escape."

"Most of it, it will help you regroup. You will be able to move in hyperspace undetected. It is not only to survive the current crisis but also to strike back at the First Order."

"Is there anything we can do to help? You could help the Resistance. A good scientist can always help a lot."

"No, I am sorry. I am sick anyway. Even if the First Order spares me, the 

disease will. I have six to nine months left."

"I am really sorry Professor", Finn said. "What about the lady? Could we help her?"

"I am going to stay for a few more days. Then I will decide."

"Very well. Then is it goodbye?"

"It is Captain...and Finn.", the Professor said. The professor's niece stood up and opened the door for them. 

"Goodbye gentlemen", she said. "Deserve her", she whispered when he passed next to her. The Captain nodded. She smiled him.

 

“Good news General. We have the algorithm. They are sending it as we speak. We will soon be able to cloak our transport ships.”

“Good. Notify the Captain to proceed to meeting area B. They are not to return here. It is better for their safety.” Admiral Holdo gave Leia Organa an approving look. 

“Thank you Sergeant Tiko. Please inform the Captain of the garrison that I need to have a word with him.” She was going to present him with the official story about the “accident” and the “suicide” of the two Resistance members. She was also going to swear them all to secrecy. 

The door opened. It was the Captain of the garrison. General Organa gave him his orders. The Captain saluted and left.

 

“Is it going to work? What do you think Leia?”, Amilyn asked.

“Moving to our hidden base? Or you and Poe?”

“Me and Poe.”

“I really don't know Amilyn”, Leia said. “I wish I could answer you. But the more I think of it, the more I believe it will all work out in the end.”

“Thank you Leia! It worked with you and Han after all.”

“Sort of. When we first met, I was a nineteen-year-old princess girl with funny hair and a lot of attitude and he was a smuggler. You have more things in common than that.”

“What did you feel the first time you saw him?”

“Disappointment that he wasn't a stormtrooper. At least if he was a stormtrooper, I could shoot him”, she said with a smile.

“With me, it was different", Amilyn said. “And I would say I am happy he is not a First Order trooper.”

“I believe in you both. If you both try hard, love each other, respect and understand each other and teach each other, it will work.”

“Thank you for your faith Leia.”, Amilyn said. She stood up ready to leave. Then she put her hand in one of her pockets and produced an envelope.

“Just in case I don't...”

“You will. You will Amilyn. You will give the letter to Poe yourself.”

“I beg you Leia. Something might go wrong. We have seen the evacuation plan ourselves. There are lots of risks.”

“All right Amilyn, you win. But I still believe you will make it. Besides, I don't know when to give him the letter.”

“You have my permission to read it. ”

“OK Amilyn.” Leia said.

“I will be on my way now”, Amilyn Holdo said and left the cabin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found Canto Bight a more appropriate setting for a James Bond film. The Last Jedi really ruined it. Poe would be totally in place with a tuxedo, a martini and a blaster!


	11. The end of a cruiser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Resistance attempt is partially successful. They manage to cloak their transports and then use them to escape. But the First Order locates Raddus and manages to attack. Amilyn Holdo has to stay behind and ram the cruiser to the enemy flagship.

One more day passed. Raddus had to make one more hyperspace jump and use decoys in order to avoid the First Order attacks. They would barely make it to planet Crait, where a hidden base was located.   
Two hundred people had already left Raddus. Ten groups of twenty people each had left in order to become the seeds of the new Resistance. Each group would land on a different planet and gradually recruit new members.

“The First Order will never understand the plan. They still think they are chasing all of us.”, Sergeant Tiko said.

“The history of the Galactic Empire teaches us that a resistance movement will form anyway. Our task here is to catalyze its formation and thus accelerate its results”, Admiral Holdo replied.

“Do these group know about each other? Will they communicate with each other?”

“No. If they communicate, there is a risk someone might overhear. In addition, if they know about each other, then if one group is caught, the next one will be caught as well.”, Holdo said.

“Will they talk...if they get captured?”, Tiko asked.

“None can resist the mind rape a Knight of Ren can do”, Amilyn Holdo replied. “Only a Jedi Master can.”

 

“Back on solid ground buddy”, Captain Dameron said, while their X-wing landed on Crait.

“My back aches. It is too cramped on board an X-wing.”

“Sorry, Finn. We only had a one-sitter version.”

“OK. What do we do now?”

“Soon the base will be filled with transports and Resistance members. We will regroup and reorganize.”, Captain Dameron said.

“What about Raddus?”, Finn asked.

“The plan is to let them hunt it down. It will be empty of course. Then we will ram it to their flagship.”

“That is going to hurt them”, Finn said with a grin.

“Yes. The idea is not only to hurt them but also to make them believe we were cornered without any hope to escape, so we decided to go down with a bang.”

“A great idea if you ask me. Who actually thought of that?”

“Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo. She is quite intelligent you know and also very brave.”

“She saved your life buddy.” Poe looked at him. 

“OK sorry, I am not supposed to talk about it. I am not even supposed to know. She is also quite a looker you know.” Poe was somewhat annoyed by the last remark.

“Finn, the Admiral is an excellent officer and a really fine lady. Show respect and reverence when you talk about her.”

 

“How many people to evacuate?”, General Organa asked.

“Two hundred”, Sergeant Tiko replied. 

“It is the final leg of our journey.”, Vice Admiral Holdo said. “We shall launch one pod every thirty minutes. There are ten of them, so in five hours we...” An alarm sounded.

“Enemy ship located! Enemy ship located!”

Holdo checked the radar. “It is their flagship!”

“Evacuate everyone now! Before they locate us.”

 

On board Supremacy, the First Order flagship, Kylo Ren and General Hux had a conversation.

“For the plan to work”, Kylo Ren said, “the turbolasers must miss, and their cruiser must not try to avoid us but to ram us.”

“Correct Supreme Leader...to be”, General Hux replied. “The cruiser must also hit the hangar TNX-1138, close to the throne room.”

“Correct Supreme Commander...to be. If the hangar doors are close of course, it will be impossible for their cruiser to do much harm. If they are open though...”

“Like when we want to launch some squadrons of TIE fighters...”, Hux said.

“The Resistance will then try to ram the hangar area in order to destroy our fighters before launching. It is the only way to save their escape pods... if the hangar is lit of course, and someone uses the Force to convince them to ram that specific part of our ship.”, Kylo Ren replied.

 

“Evacuate everyone now!”, General Organa ordered.

“They will launch TIE fighters. They are very close”, Vice Admiral Holdo replied. “Even if we launch our transports, their TIE fighters will blow them up. There is only one solution.”

“What Admiral?”, General Organa asked.

“We need to ram their ship. And we need to ram it in the hangar they have the fighters. I will reprogram the auto-pilot. I am going to the command center.”, Admiral Holdo said.

“How will you return?”, Leia Organa asked. 

 

“Sir, the turbolasers are not doing a lot of damage.”, a young First Order officer said. 

“Open the hangar doors for the TIE fighters to launch”, General Hux replied. “They are in hangar TNX-1138.”

 

Quick turning a heavy cruiser like Raddus was hard and you couldn't do it fast. Amilyn Holdo used everything the ship had: gyroscopes, thrusters, and even the ship's main engines. She would severely damage the ship in the process but she didn't care. Raddus was going to become pieces In a few minutes anyway. The Vice Admiral hoped the maneuver would not interfere with the evacuation process.

Amilyn sensed someone probing her mind. That someone was giving her the encouragement to look to a particular lit part of the First Order flagship. That someone also mentioned her the lit part was a hangar bay where TIE fighters were about to launch.

“Three transports launched, seven to go”, a voice announced.

“Come on, hurry”, Amilyn whispered. She was trying to program the autopilot to hit Supremacy on that particular area. The ship was still turning. 

“Six transports to go”, the voice announced. Amilyn looked at the hangar bay of the enemy ship. The TIE fighters would launch in any moment.

“Five transports to go”. Raddus was steady now. It would soon start its final journey, straight to the heart of the enemy. Enemy turbolasers hit the Resistance cruiser. They caused a lot of vibrations on the ship. Holdo immediately increased power for the energy shields to the frontal area of the ship. The vibrations immediately stopped. 

“Four transports to go”. Still, no planes launched from the hangar. Strange. Why to open the hangar bay if you don't want to launch? At the same time, the noticed the Force user had stopped interfering with her mind.

“Three transports to go.” Her mind went to Poe. Would you be proud of me? Would you admire me? She set the auto pilot for collision course with the Supremacy. It was very complex though. Would she make it in time? Her heart was pounding. “Take a deep breath. Poe would be calm now.”, she told herself.

“Amilyn, get out. You won't have time to save yourself!” It was Leia Organa. But the auto-pilot would not work.

“There are spare escape pods. Leave without me! I need to program the auto-pilot.”

“The letter! Give him my letter!”, Amilyn Holdo said.

“Two transports to go.”

“One transport to go.”

“All transports gone.”

Raddus crashed inside TNX-1138 hangar bay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The scene is almost like the one in the Last Jedi. The difference is there is no hyperspace jump here. As many smart people have mentioned, if you have hyperspace ramming attacks, you don't need other weapons. The Rebel Alliance could have just thrown a swarm of hyperspace meteorites from hyperspace to blow up the Death Star. No need for Luke Skywalker!
> 
> Also TNX-1138!


	12. A lonely flyboy and a Jedi Master

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raddus is gone. The last of its survivors reach Crait. The first order attacks. Will Luke Skywalker save the day as everyone expects him to do? And what has happened to Vice Admiral Holdo?

When the first transports arrived on Crait, Captain Poe Dameron was alarmed. He would see her again. She was brave and she would be one of the last to abandon ship. Nevertheless, he searched every transport.   
When the last transport arrived, Poe Dameron was certain she would be inside. She would be the second to last to leave Raddus, only followed by General Leia Organa herself. The last transport landed on the base, its airlock opened, and its passengers started descending it. Most of them had unfamiliar faces. One, two, three,..., seventeen, eighteen, ...nineteen...

The last person out of the transport was General Leia Organa. She looked at the Captain for a few seconds. She didn't say a word but she didn't have to. There were tears in her eyes. 

 

The next few days were days of frantic activity. The Crait base had been abandoned for decades. Leia Organa and her now second in command Captain Dameron organized the Resistance members to clean, maintain, and set to work everything that could function. It was tiring activity and Dameron welcomed it because it kept his mind away from Amilyn Holdo.

Unfortunately, all that work had been for nothing. In the end, the First Order located the Crait base and attacked it. They used bombers and heavy armored troop carriers. They also used the Hammer, a powerful turbolaser capable of melting heavy metal doors like the one guarding the Crait base.

All seemed lost. There was nothing that could be done. Only a miracle could save the Resistance now.

And the miracle came! Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi appeared to save the Resistance. The First Order weapons fired against him but they had no effect. After killing two Knights of Ren, the Jedi Master confronted Kylo Ren and General Hux. 

“As you can see, your weapons cannot harm me. But I can harm you. There is the deal. You let the Resistance escape and I let you survive.” 

Both men agreed and the Resistance escaped and survived. The survivors moved to other hidden bases in other planets. Captain Dameron and General Organa went to the new base in the swamp planet of Dagobach. 

 

“Listen Poe, I had known Amilyn for more than three decades. She was one of the best friends I ever had. I know she was proud of you and she believed in you.

“I have reexamined your case Poe. It appears you were right to attack that dreadnought. For that reason you are back to Commander.”

“It is a great honor General. I will not fail you”, Poe Dameron replied.

“No, you won't. Amilyn took care of that. She influenced you more than I could in thirty years. You are a new person now.”

“Amilyn saw potential in me that even I hadn't realized”, Poe Dameron replied.

“This is true. She had some thoughts to share with you as well. Here.” She handed him Amilyn's letter. Poe's hands were shaking and he was visibly upset when he took it. 

“All right Commander. We are in a symbolic place. This is the planet where Luke Skywalker received his Jedi training from none other than Grand Master Yoda himself.”

“Therefore, I will train the pilots. Not try to train them. Do or do not do. There is no try.”, Commanded Dameron said. “As Master Yoda used to say.”

 

One month passed. General Organa received reports that the First Order progress had significantly slowed. It appeared that Luke Skywalker had scared the hell out of them. She also received reports that Supreme Leader Snoke had fewer and fewer public appearances. Leia suspected someone had staged a coup inside the First Order and they wanted to gradually phase him out of public consciousness. Had Amilyn actually managed to hit his throne room?

It was time for the Resistance to rebuild their aerial strength. To do so, they would purchase X-wing fighters. Leia Organa had some personal connections with milliners and billionaires who discreetly funded the Resistance. She also had some connections with some arms dealers who for various reasons – mainly financial gain – had agreed to sell them the desired aircraft.

 

“How many times have you read her letter Poe?”, Leia asked softly.

“More than a hundred.”

“Do you still cry when you read it?”

“Yes. I miss her. I want to believe she has survived somehow. But I start accepting she didn't.”

“It is OK to mourn her.”

“I perform my duties to the fullest General. I believe Amilyn would like me to do so.”

“Of course she would. Since talking about duties, I have a mission for you. A purchase order for aircraft. Don't worry. It isn't paperwork.”

“What is it then? A meeting with an arms dealer?”

“Exactly. You fly to Canto Bight today. You are to meet our contact there. You will use the one X-wing we still have.”

“That suits me fine.”

Leia placed a small rectangular box on the table between her and Poe. It was sealed.

“This is a special form of communication device. You may open the box only after you have landed on Canto Bight and talked with your contact.”

“Understood. I will be going now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is like the movie. The difference is there are more survivors this time and Luke Skywalker does not just distract the First Order for them to escape. Instead, he scares them so much they let the Resistance escape unharmed.


	13. Back to Canto Bight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe Dameron returns to Canto Bight. He is promoted to his old rank because Leia recognised he did the right thing and cleared him from any accusations of insubordination.
> 
> On his way to Canto Bight, Poe rereads Amilyn's letter. 
> 
> In Canto Bight Poe is to meet a mysterious contact. Who is that person?

It would take some hours for Poe Dameron to fly from Dagobath to Canto Bight. He didn't want to close his eyes. The face of Amilyn Holdo with her beautiful smile appeared every time he did so. Having read her letter more than a hundred times, he had memorized every word of it. 

 

"Poe, I wrote this letter because I wanted to express myself, to tell you about things I might never get the opportunity to do otherwise.

"You have described me as your heroine, because I saved your life in the past. I thank you for that characterization and I have come to believe it myself. There is a secret I would like to share with you though: I only became your heroine because you had become my hero first and then inspired me to become someone better.

"Like Leia Organa, I had been a member of the Resistance for many years. But unlike her, my faith in the Resistance had shattered and one day completely vanished. Mind you, I still believed we were the good guys doing the right thing. But I no longer believed we would prevail. There was too much complacency in the New Republic, too much bureaucracy and not enough appreciation for the dangers ahead of us.

"Then the Hosnian System, the head of the New Republic, was destroyed. It was one single attack by the Starkiller Base superweapon that killed tens of billions. At that moment, I decided to quit the Resistance. I believed it would only be a matter of days before everyone in the Resistance was dead and a matter of weeks before everyone in the Galaxy obeyed the First Order rule. There was no reason to stay and die for a lost cause.

"And then you appeared Poe. You, on board your X-wing fighter, leading a daring raid against the Starkiller Base, a raid the Galaxy hadn't seen for thirty years. And you succeeded! You destroyed the Starkiller Base, saving the Resistance, countless billions of human lives, and giving the Galaxy a New Hope. At that moment. I realized the cause is not lost and I fully committed myself to the Resistance again.

"When a few days later, the First Order attacked us and you lost consciousness, I thought you were dead. I couldn't sleep and I couldn't stop crying."

Every time Poe read that part of the letter, he cried. 

The letter continued with the narrative of what had happened on board Raddus, the hostage situation and their final meeting.

"In the past I had visited Canto Bight myself. It was a diplomatic mission. I loved the sea, the stars, the magnificent views. I hated the casinos and the people who wasted their lives gambling instead of pursuing more meaningful pursuits.

"If the situation improves, I would like to meet you again in a place far away from the war. There is a beautiful bar on Canto Bight beach I visited a long time ago, more than two decades ago. It is on the beach outside Canto's Finest, a big, ugly casino. I promised myself that I would date the man of my life in that one place. I don't know why I promised that. Maybe because I was young and romantic or maybe because the bar was named A New Hope.

"I don't know if I ever make that promise a reality. I don't know if I survive this war. But I know that I love you and that if everything goes all right, I will buy you a martini in New Hope.

"I love you so much,

Amilyn."

 

Amilyn Holdo had probably disintegrated when Raddus rammed Supremacy. “You were a true heroine”, Commander Dameron told himself.

 

It was night when the X-wing landed on Canto Bight. This time Poe was alone. Finn had remained back and had assumed duties as a combat training instructor. He was now Sergeant Finn.

“I wish you were here Sarge”, Poe said. “Right, BB-8?” The droid bleeped.

“I knew you like him BB-8. Finn likes you too. All right, time to go. Stay in the X-wind.” BB-8 bleeped.

Wearing a tuxedo, the same one he had worn the previous time, Commander Poe Dameron walked towards the sea. According to the General's instructions, he was to meet his contact in a bar.

The sun had set and the night was beautiful and full of stars. The New Hope bar was right in front of him. Amilyn had been right. It was a beautiful and romantic place. He checked his right pocket. The box with the communication device was there, sealed. He would give it to his contact the moment he met him. Or was it her? The General had never explained.

“You won't have to search for the contact. The contact has a physical description of you and will approach you.”, Leia Organa had told him.

“The communication device you carry might or might not be given to the contact”, the General continued. “That will depend on the nature of your conversation with the contact and written instructions I have inside the box. The instructions are merely suggestions and not orders, so use them at your discretion.”

 

Commander Poe Dameron entered the dimly lit bar. He looked like a secret agent in his black tuxedo. Or like a playboy. 

A few seconds after he entered the bar, a waiter dressed in white approached him. He was holding a disc with a small envelope on it. 

“The lady asked me to give you this envelope, sir. She is expecting you at the end of the corridor. She is sitting on that table with the two big armchairs facing the sea.”

The contact was a woman after all. Commander Dameron opened the envelope. It contained some personal information about him only a few members of the Resistance knew, including General Organa. That confirmed that the contact was not a fake. 

Walking slowly, Poe Dameron approached the table. A hand appeared from the left chair, holding a glass of martini. The hand was gloved. A thin, soft blue glove covered the hand. It was part of an elegant woman's dress.

The woman put the glass of martini on the table. Commander Dameron approached the right chair. It was dimly lit and he couldn't make the woman's characteristics. He sat on the empty armchair and turned his head to look at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are almost there! There is just one chapter left.


	14. A proposal for Amilyn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The musterious contact is Amilyn Holdo! She has survived!
> 
> Poe has a proposal for her.

“Hello flyboy!”. It was the cheerful voice of... Amilyn Holdo?

“You are alive! You are alive!”, Poe whispered. He put his arms around her and started kissing her.

“Hey...wait...oh whatever”, she said. She kissed him too. 

“Amilyn...Amilyn... I want to...”. It took him a lot of effort to convince her to stop kissing him.

“How did you survive Amilyn? How did you come here?”

 

“No transports left”, the announcer voice said on board Raddus. 

“Come on, come on”, Holdo told herself. “Turn, face the hangar.” She was alone on board the heavy cruiser.

With a sudden relief she found what she was looking for. She put one of the turbolaser cameras in maximum focus, observing the Supremacy hangar door. Then she activated the turbolaser to its minimum setting, too weak to cause any damage but strong enough to designate a specific position. She then locked the laser system. 

“Follow the laser beam Raddus. Just like a big cruise missile”. She then pushed a lever and the ship accelerated. Finally, she pushed a button. The auto pilot was on. 

It was time for her to run to the hangar bay. It was hard for her to do so because the cruiser was accelerating and she almost lost her balance. 

She entered the pod, closed the airlock, and pressed a button. The escape pod jettisoned in space. Hopefully, the First Order would be too busy trying to avoid a heavy cruiser to notice a small pod less than three meters long.

 

“To conserve oxygen, food, energy, and water, some escape pods have a hibernation option. I would sleep like a bear in the winter for two weeks and then I would wake up when the pod was close to the destination planet. It was the only way to remain alive.”

“The destination planet was Canto Bight. I had personally programmed its coordinates. It was a backup plan in case your X-wing could not be repaired. I even had stored some money and some clothes.”

“You are very thorough Admiral”, Poe observed with a smile.

“Thank you Captain”, she replied.

“Actually, I am a Commander now”, he replied.

“Congratulations Commander Dameron”, she said with her beautiful smile. “Let me buy you a drink.”

“How did you survive in Canto Bight? Was the money you had with you enough?”, he asked.

“There is a way to make a living in Canto Bight. You can become a professional gambler. My observational skills combined with my military training and my knowledge of some card playing games helped me a lot. It was easy for me to make a small daily profit, enough to cover my expenses. The casinos don't mind small scale profits. They earn so much by the billionaires who spend fortunes they don't mind losing in the first place.”

“I didn't know about Crait, about the Resistance, about anything. I was afraid I was alone, that you and everyone else had eventually perished.”

“Then, a few days later, I heard a rumor about Master Skywalker. I also noticed that some people who more or less advertised their affiliation to the First Order had become more silent.”

“The rumor is true Amilyn. Luke Skywalker frightened the First Order leadership and forced them to stop attacking us. Most of us escaped unharmed. There is also the rumor that Supreme Leader Snoke is dead. It appears you rammed his throne room.”

“Someone wanted me to do that. Someone with Force powers. Maybe the Knights of Ren or Kylo Ren himself. I really don't know.”

“You are a true action girl Amilyn.” She kissed him again. It took them ten minutes to stop.

“I am afraid there is also work to be done”, Amilyn said.

“The General told me about a weapons deal”, Poe replied.

“Yes, I set it up myself. But an experienced pilot is required to evaluate the fighters.”

“She could have sent another. And she could have told me about you”, Poe Dameron said.

“She could not use my official identity”, she said. “The First Order is hunting senior Resistance leaders. For the time being they think I perished when they attacked Raddus. So let's not take any chances. Besides, it is not exactly by the book to send an officer to meet his lover, even if it was for professional reasons.”

“There is another thing”, Poe Dameron said.

 

Commander Dameron opened the sealed box Leia Organa had given him. There was a small envelope and a smaller box in it. There were some letters written on the envelope. 

“Instructions to Commander Dameron for use of the device. Open the envelope to read.” He opened the envelope. A small hand-written note was in it.

Poe, if you have decided that Amilyn is the one woman you want to be with, do the following steps.

1\. Love her, treasure her, respect her, listen to her, deserve her.

2\. Propose her. See inside the box for the appropriate material.

3\. Be romantic. Girls like that. I know from experience.

4\. Don't be afraid to cry.

5\. Love her, treasure her, respect her, listen to her, deserve her.

 

Poe already knew what that communications device was. He opened the box only to reveal...

“Is this what I think it is?”, Amilyn said. 

“Yes it is”, he replied. “It is at my discretion to use the device as I see fit. But before that...”

“What is it my love?”, she asked. It was the same ring a former smuggler called Han Solo had once given to a Princess called Leia Organa.

“Amilyn, the first time I saw you was like a thunder hit me. I admit that I was too scared to approach you. After all, you are an officer that outranks me. But it was love at first sight. I only hoped you would feel the same for me.”

“I did and I do Poe”, she said.

“We have been through many things. I am your hero and you are my heroine. You have saved my life, risking yours. You have inspired me to become a better person in every aspect of my life. Most of all, you are a wonderful woman I want to be with for the rest of my life.”

“For that reason, I will use this so called communications device, also known as an engagement ring...to propose you. Amilyn Holdo, will you marry me?”

“I will, I will, I will! I love you Poe!”. Tears were flowing from her eyes.

“I love you Amilyn”, Poe said offering the ring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really liked the character of Amilyn - this version, not the movie one. I could not bring myself to kill her off. Besides, that would make Poe sad. 
> 
> Fortunately, there were some spare escape pods and a spare engagement ring.


End file.
